British Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a number of access tunnels leading to the facility... early reports are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of British forces involved in this mission for their skill and their valour," Healey commented. "They were among a great many British troops stationed over the holidays. This mission, to take out militants who endanger our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "large-scale strike" on IS targets in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
